Yakym Somko ( uk, Яким Сомко, pl, Jakim Somko) (? in

Pereiaslav Pereiaslav ( uk, Перея́слав, translit=Pereiaslav, yi, פּרעיאַסלעוו, Periyoslov) is a historical city in the Boryspil Raion, Kyiv Oblast (province) of central Ukraine, located near the confluence of Alta and Trubizh riv ...

– September 28, 1664), was a

Ukrainian Cossack The Cossacks , es, cosaco , et, Kasakad, cazacii , fi, Kasakat, cazacii , french: cosaques , hu, kozákok, cazacii , it, cosacchi , orv, коза́ки, pl, Kozacy , pt, cossacos , ro, cazaci , russian: казаки́ or ...

military leader of the

Pereyaslav regiment Pereiaslav ( uk, Перея́слав, translit=Pereiaslav, yi, פּרעיאַסלעוו, Periyoslov) is a historical city in the Boryspil Raion, Kyiv Oblast (province) of central Ukraine, located near the confluence of Alta and Trubizh riv ...

and was the Acting Hetman of

Left-bank Ukraine Left-bank Ukraine ( uk, Лівобережна Україна, translit=Livoberezhna Ukrayina; russian: Левобережная Украина, translit=Levoberezhnaya Ukraina; pl, Lewobrzeżna Ukraina) is a historic name of the part of Ukrain ...

in 1660-1663, during

The Ruin ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

. He was first appointed captain of the Pereiaslav regiment in 1654, and became the acting colonel in 1658. At the Pereiaslav Council of 1660 that concluded the Treaty of Slobodyshche he was elected colonel of Pereiaslav regiment and Acting Hetman of Left-Bank Ukraine. But he strongly opposed the treaty because it restored the union with

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

, and annulled the Pereiaslav articles, which he favored more of a pro-Russian orientation. Which caused a

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

between Right-bank Cossacks who favored a pro-Polish policies, and Left-bank Cossacks who favored pro-Russian policies. In 1661 he led a revolt against Yuri Khmelnytsky with left-bank regiments, and Zaporozhian

otaman Ataman (variants: ''otaman'', ''wataman'', ''vataman''; Russian: атаман, uk, отаман) was a title of Cossack and haidamak leaders of various kinds. In the Russian Empire, the term was the official title of the supreme military command ...

Ivan Briukhovetsky Ivan Briukhovetsky ( uk, Іван Брюховецький, links=no, pl, Iwan Brzuchowiecki, links=no, russian: Иван Брюховецкий, links=no) (died 18 June 1668) was a hetman of Left-bank Ukraine from 1663 to 1668. In the early year ...

. During the

Russo-Polish War Armed conflicts between Poland (including the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth) and Russia (including the Soviet Union) include: Originally a Polish civil war that Russia, among others, became involved in. Originally a Hungarian revolution ...

he fought against the Poles, and the

Crimean Tatars , flag = Flag of the Crimean Tatar people.svg , flag_caption = Flag of Crimean Tatars , image = Love, Peace, Traditions.jpg , caption = Crimean Tatars in traditional clothing in front of the Khan's Palace ...

, in order to re-unite all of the Cossack lands under his reign. At first he was a strong supporter of

Tsardom of Russia The Tsardom of Russia or Tsardom of Rus' also externally referenced as the Tsardom of Muscovy, was the centralized Russian state from the assumption of the title of Tsar by Ivan IV in 1547 until the foundation of the Russian Empire by Peter I ...

, but initially withdrew his support because of disagreements, and lack of help on restoring

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

. But Russia started seeking aid with Somko's opponents, in particular with Ivan Briukhovetsky who supported Russian rule, they in turn started accusing Somko of secret negotiations with Khmelnytsky, and

Pavlo Teteria Pavlo Teteria ( uk, Павло́ Тете́ря; russian: Па́вел Ива́нович Тете́ря, pl, Paweł Morzkowski herbu Ślepowron) (1620s–1670) was Hetman of Right-bank Ukraine (1663–1665). His real name is Pavlo Morzhkovsky. ...

, which caused to delay the final decision of the Cossack

starshyna ( rus, старшина, p=stərʂɨˈna, a=Ru-старшина.ogg or in Ukrainian transliteration) is a senior non-commissioned rank or designation in the military forces of some Slavic states, and a historical military designation. In arm ...

council at

Kozelets Kozelets ( uk, Козелець ) is an urban-type settlement in Chernihiv Raion, Chernihiv Oblast (province) of northern Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Kozelets settlement hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Kozelets is located on t ...

in 1662 to recognize his tenure as hetman. In order to decide on a new hetman, a Chorna rada took place on June 17–18, 1663 near

Nizhyn Nizhyn ( uk, Ні́жин, Nizhyn, ) is a city located in Chernihiv Oblast of northern Ukraine along the Oster River. The city is located north-east of the national capital Kyiv. Nizhyn serves as the administrative center of Nizhyn Raion. It ...

, where a cossack council consisting of the starshyna, and a large number of common cossacks elected a new hetman for left-bank Ukraine. The officers proposed him and colonel Vasyl Zolotarenko of the

Nizhyn Regiment The Nizhyn Regiment or Nezhin Regiment ( uk, Ні́жинський полк, russian: Нѣжинскій полкъ) was one of ten territorial-administrative subdivisions of the Cossack Hetmanate. The regiment's capital was the city of Nizhyn, n ...

as candidates, but the majority and including the

Tsar Tsar ( or ), also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar'', is a title used by East and South Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word ''caesar'', which was intended to mean "emperor" in the European medieval sense of the ter ...

supported Briukhovetsky and elected him the new hetman. Both Somko, and Zolotarenko were imprisoned and then were handed over to Briukhovetsky, who had them executed in

Borzna Borzna (, ), also referred to as Borsna, is a historic town in northern Ukraine, in Nizhyn Raion of Chernihiv Oblast. It hosts the administration of Borzna urban hromada, one of the hromadas of Ukraine. Population: Location Borzna is locate ...

on September 28, 1664.

Legacy

Yakym Somko is the central character in a novel " The Black Council. Chronicle 1663" (1846) by Panteleimon Kulish.

References

Encyclopedia of Ukraine
{{DEFAULTSORT:Somko, Yakym 1664 deaths People from Pereiaslav Acting Hetmans (Ukrainian Cossacks) Russian people of the Russo-Polish War (1654–1667) Zaporozhian Cossack military personnel of the Khmelnytsky Uprising 1610s births Colonels of the Cossack Hetmanate